Pairing food and beer in Paris

Pairing food and wine beer in Paris

One might think that Paris and France are all about wine…you come to a restaurant, you order food and then someone asks, should we order some wine? The obvious answer would be « Of course, we are in France, aren’t we? »

So prepare to change your answer… what if we ordered a craft beer to accompany our meal?

I never cared much about beer, I used to say that during a pub evening I drink beer because I don’t like it that much and therefore I don’t risk drinking too much… when I drink wine I sip it much faster…

That was until a participated at a Brewdog food and beer pairing lunch and I discovered that I just had not tasted the right beer… a good beer.

So with this new enlightenment I went to a food and beer pairing dinner at “La Fine Mousse”… a newly opened restaurant located near the bar of the same name.

And what a great confirmation it was…

We chose a tasting menu of 2 starters, 2 main dishes and 2 desserts, each paired with its beer, and started a journey full of discoveries…

First discovery: There are French-made beers!!! And even beer made in Paris….

We tasted an excellent beer from Paris: La Môme, which is brewed right in the Goutte d’Or area.

We than drank, Saleve, another French beer from the Savoie… oh yeah! This mountainous region of cheese, sausages and wine (yes, there are also excellent Savoie wines…but that’s for another time) also produces great beer!!!

And that was followed by a Blond beer from Picardie, St Rieul… but region is closer to Belgium; maybe this is where the inspiration came from.

We continued with Admiral’s Ale… British beer – logical, Fano Havgus – Danish beer, Hitachino nest – Japanese beer brewed with rice, which gives it a hint of Sake (it is Japan, after all J)

Second discovery: Beer can be part of a gastronomic meal

Once again, we experienced how beer can be beautifully integrated into a refined and creative meal, leaving behind the existing misconception that beer goes with a rough and basic meal…

We were served: smoked white cheese with zucchini, nuts and the black ash found on certain chèvres, Octopus with pequillos, bacon, foie gras and black beans, Pollock with vegetables and pistachio sauce, a filet mignon of porc (that was the most traditional dish of the evening… traditional but delicious!!!) and as desserts: red pepper cream (yes, yes… the vegetable, but as a sweet cold soup) and Strawberry chocolate crumble.

All these dishes were not only very creative and surprising but also delicious and nicely paired with the beers.

Third discovery: there is much to say about beer!!!

Each of the dishes was presented with its beer and our very pleasant server (and probably also owner) explained about each beer, where it came from and what made it special. When we had questions, for example: “why is a beer poured in a certain way”, he took the time to explain and demonstrate

So if you are interested in good food and good beer… go ahead, you will be served!!

6 avenue Jean Aicard- 75011 Paris (the bar is at one corner and the restaurant is at the opposite side of the street)

Tél : +33 (0)9 80 45 94 64 Opens at 19h – Tuesday to Saturday.

Ganit HIRSCHBERG is a wine, food and life enthusiast. After more than 20 years in technology she decided to open a new, and more human oriented, chapter in her life, turning her passion for the good (but not necessarily luxurious) life into a career. Driven by the “motto” that the good life must be shared in order to fully enjoy it, she explores and discovers new places to taste food and wine. She is now working as a Caviste in Paris along with organizing wine events, particularly for expatriates and visitors in Paris.